Clustering geofence-based alerts for mobile devices

ABSTRACT

A geofence management system obtains location data for points of interest. The geofence management system determines, at the option of the user, the location of a user mobile computing device relative to specific points of interest and alerts the user when the user nears the points of interest. The geofence management system, however, determines relationships among the identified points of interest, and associates or “clusters” the points of interest together based on the determined relationships. Rather than establishing separate geofences for multiple points of interest, and then alerting the user each time the user&#39;s mobile device enters each geofence boundary, the geofence management system establishes a single geofence boundary for the associated points of interest. When the user&#39;s mobile device enters the clustered geofence boundary, the geofence management system notifies the user device to alert the user of the entrance event. The user then receives the clustered, geofence-based alert.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/727,795, filed Jun. 1, 2015 and entitled“Clustering Geofence-Based Alerts For Mobile Devices,” which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/329,812, filed Jul.11, 2014 and entitled “Clustering Geofence-Based Alerts For MobileDevices,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/950,511, filed Jul. 25, 2013 and entitled “Clustering Geofence-BasedAlerts For Mobile Devices,” which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/931,751, filed Jun. 28, 2013 and entitled“Clustering Geofence-Based Alerts For Mobile Devices.” The entiredisclosures of the above-identified priority applications are herebyfully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to geofence-based alerts, andmore particularly to clustering of related points of interest intoconsolidated geofences.

BACKGROUND

Location data from a mobile device can be used for numerousapplications. Many applications use location data for locating friends,playing games, and assisting a user with directions, for example. Thelocation data can also be used to provide an alert on a user's mobiledevice when the user is the vicinity of a point of interest, such as abusiness, an institution, landmark, park, or other location that wouldbe of interest to a user. For example, a user may choose to be alertedevery time the user is near a particular store or restaurant, especiallyif the alert includes a promotional offer for the store or restaurant ofinterest.

In conventional geofence-based alert systems, geofence boundaries areestablished for each point-of-interest location. To mark a point ofinterest, the latitude and longitude coordinates for the point ofinterest are determined. A radius marking the bounds of the geofence isthen applied around the point of interest. The data for each geofenceboundary is then stored in the user's mobile computing device, such isin the cache of a user's mobile phone. When the user device enters thegeofence boundary, the user device provides an alert to the userregarding the entrance event. For example, the user device may informthe user that “you have a coffee shop nearby providing a discountoffer.”

Although conventional geofence-based alert systems work well in sparselypopulated areas, a user device traveling thorough a densely populatedarea is oftentimes inundated with geofences for numerous points ofinterest. Storing the geofence data can consume the cache memory of theuser device, and processing and providing numerous alerts for thenumerous geofences can drain battery power. The numerous alerts can alsoannoy the user. For example, if a coffee chain has five storefrontswithin a kilometer of each other, a user traveling though the area mayreceive five separate geofence-based alerts (one for each coffee shop).Similarly, a user driving down a road may receive a geofence-based alertevery time the user device nears a fuel station included among thepoints of interest.

SUMMARY

In certain example aspects described herein, a computer-implementedmethod for alert notification, and more particularly clustered alertnotification, is provided. A geofence management system determines aplurality of points of interest relative to a location of a usercomputing device, such as a mobile telephone. The geofence managementsystem then determines a relationship among two or more of the points ofinterest. In response to determining the relationship among the two ormore of the points of interest, the geofence management systemassociates two or more of the points of interest together and thendetermines a geofence boundary encompassing the associated points ofinterest. The geofence management system communicates the geofenceboundary data for the geofence boundary to the user computing device.When the geofence management system determines that the user device hasentered the geofence boundary, the geofence management system instructsthe user device to provide an alert on the user computing deviceregarding one or more of the associated points of interest. The userthen receives the alert for the one or more associated points ofinterest.

In certain other example aspects, a system for providing an alertnotification, and more particularly a clustered alert notification, isprovided herein. Also provided in certain aspects is a computer programproduct for providing an alert notification.

These and other aspects, objects, features and advantages of the exampleembodiments will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in theart upon consideration of the following detailed description ofillustrated example embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system for clusteringgeofence-based alert notification, in accordance with certain exampleembodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block flow diagram depicting a method for clusteringgeofence-based alerts, in accordance with certain example embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block flow diagram depicting a method for associating(clustering) points of interest within a clustered geofence boundary, inaccordance with certain example embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting points of interest associated into asingle (clustered) geofence boundary based on proximity, in accordancewith certain example embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting a computing machine and a module, inaccordance with certain example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Overview

As disclosed herein, a geofence management system obtains location datafor points of interest, such as latitude and longitude coordinates formerchant storefronts. The geofence management system then determines, atthe option of the user, the location of a user mobile computing devicerelative to specific points of interest and alerts the user when theuser nears the points of interest. However, the geofence managementsystem determines relationships among the specific points of interest,and associates or “clusters” the points of interest together based onthe determined relationships. For example, the geofence managementsystem determines that three merchant storefronts providing discountoffers are within a kilometer of each other. Rather than establishingseparate geofence boundaries for each storefront—and then alerting theuser of an offer each time the user's mobile device enters the separategeofence boundary—the geofence management system establishes a singlegeofence boundary around the three storefronts. When the user's mobiledevice enters the single geofence boundary, the geofence managementsystem notifies the user device to alert the user of the entrance event.For example, the user device provides a single alert to the user that“you have three nearby offers.” In order to use the geofence managementsystem as described herein, the user in certain examples may have toinstall a geofence management system application on the user deviceand/or specify settings on the user device.

More particularly, the geofence management system obtains location datafor multiple points of interest. For example, one or more locationmarketing systems provide the geofence management system with locationinformation for various merchants associated with the location marketingsystem. Additionally or alternatively, merchants can provide thegeofence management system with location information for merchantstorefronts of the merchant. Additionally or alternatively, the geofencemanagement system determines location information for multiple locationsthat may be of interest to one or more users. The location informationcan be any information that establishes the location of a point ofinterest, such as a street address, Ordnance Survey Grid Referenceinformation, and/or latitude and longitude coordinates for points ofinterest. The geofence management system stores the information in anaccessible point-of-interest database.

To manage geofences for a particular user, the geofence managementsystem obtains, at the option of the user, the location information fora user computing device, such as a mobile phone. The user may have toactivate or otherwise authorize an application executing on the userdevice to monitor the location of the user device for use in identifyingpoints of interest to the user. That is, at the option of the user, thelocation of the user device is determined, such as through a locationapplication on the user device that is associated with alocation-service. The location of the user device may also be determinedthrough a global positioning service (GPS). In certain exampleembodiments, the geofence management system operates as a location-basedservice that monitors the location of the user device. For example, alocation application on the user device determines the location of theuser device and communicates the user device location to the geofencemanagement system. The geofence management system receives the userdevice location information, such as latitude and longitude coordinatesfor the user device, and monitors the location of the user device. Inalternative example embodiments, the geofence management system mayoperate or otherwise execute partially or entirely on the user device.

In certain example embodiments, the geofence management systemadditionally receives planned route information for the user device. Forexample, a user can enter destination information into a mappingapplication on the user device. After a route is determined based on thecurrent location of the user device and the entered destination, themapping application communicates the route information, including theintended destination, to the geofence management system. The geofencemanagement system then receives the planned route and intendeddestination information for the user device.

Based on the location information received from the user device, thegeofence management system identifies specific points of interestrelative to the location of the user device. That is, the geofencemanagement system dynamically determines points of interest as aparticular user device nears the specific points of interest (or thegeofence management systems determines that the user device is expectedto be near the points of interest). For example, the geofence managementsystem accesses the point-of-interest location database to determine allof the points of interest within a configurable radius (or other shapedarea, such as a square, a city or county boundary, etc.) around the userdevice. The geofence management system can determine, for example, allpoints of interest within 10-kilometer radius of the user device.Additionally or alternatively, in certain example embodiments thegeofence management system may identify points of interest along areceived route of the user device or at an intended destination of theuser.

After identifying specific points of interest, the geofence managementsystem associates related points of interest together into a cluster.That is, the geofence management system determines relationships amongtwo or more points of interest, and then groups the points of interestaccording to the determined relationships. Numerous relationships amongpoints of interest can exist. For example, points of interest can relateto each other based on proximity. Three merchant storefronts providingoffers to a user, for example, may be within a kilometer of each other.The geofence management system thus clusters the three stores togetherbased on their proximity to each other. The points of interest canadditionally or alternatively relate to each other based on affiliation.For example, multiple merchant storefronts in a town may be affiliatedwith the same merchant chain, such as a chain of coffee shops havingmultiple coffee shops in the town. The geofence management system thusclusters the three stores together based on their affiliation to thechain and to their proximity within the town. In another exampleembodiment, separate merchant storefronts within a central location areaffiliated with the central location, such as three storefronts in amall. The geofence management system thus clusters the three storefrontstogether based on their central location affiliation with the mall. Incertain example embodiments, points of interest may relate to theplanned route and/or destination of the user. For example, three fuelstations along a planned route or at an intended destination may providediscount offers.

Once the geofence management system associates related points ofinterest into a cluster, the geofence management system defines a singlegeofence boundary around the clustered points of interest. That is, thegeofence management system determines a geofence boundary encompassingtwo or more of the identified points of interest sharing a relationship,thereby forming a clustered geofence boundary. For example, if threemerchant storefronts are clustered based on proximity, such as threemerchant storefronts that are within a kilometer of each other, thegeofence management system defines a clustered geofence boundaryencompassing the three merchant storefronts. Likewise, if multiplemerchant storefronts in a town belong to a chain, such as a coffee shopchain, the geofence management system defines a clustered geofenceboundary encompassing all of the storefronts of the chain. Similarly,the geofence management system can define a clustered geofence boundaryaround a mall, for example, that has three points of interest therein.And, if the geofence management system receives route data from a userdevice, the geofence management system can define a single geofenceboundary around a cluster of fuel stations along the route or at thefinal destination. The clustered geofence boundaries are also dynamic,in that the geofence management system defines the clustered geofenceboundary based on the location of points of interest near the userdevice.

After defining one or more clustered geofence boundaries, the geofencemanagement system communicates the clustered geofence boundary data tothe user device. That is, the geofence management system communicatesgeofence boundary information, such as the clustered geofence boundarycoordinates, to the user device. The clustered geofence boundarycoordinates may comprise, for example, the latitude and longitude pointsencompassing the clustered points of interest. The user device thenstores the coordinates, for example, in the cache of the user device. Incertain example embodiments, the geofence management system communicatesmultiple clustered geofence boundaries to the user device. For example,the geofence management system can communicate geofence boundary datafor clusters that are determined based on point-of-interest proximity,affiliation, route, destination, or any other relationship as describedherein. In an example, the clustered geofence boundary data can comprisea location point and a defined radius around the location point. In thisexample, the location point can be a central location of all points ofinterest in the cluster, a location of one of the points in the cluster,a relational location for all points of interest in the cluster (forexample, a mall location in which the points of interest are located),or other suitable location point.

Once the clustered geofence boundary is defined and communicated to theuser device, the geofence management system determines that the userdevice enters the clustered geofence boundary. For example, followingreceipt of a clustered geofence boundary data, an application on theuser device, such as the location application, monitors the user devicefor an entry event into the clustered geofence boundary. When the userdevice enters a clustered geofence boundary, the user device notifiesthe geofence management system of the entrance event. For example, thelocation application on the mobile device communicates an entrancenotification to the geofence management system, thereby alerting thegeofence management system of the entrance event. The geofencemanagement system then receives the notification that the user devicehas entered the clustered geofence boundary.

After receiving the entrance notification, the geofence managementsystem notifies the user device to provide a clustered geofence alert tothe user. That is, the geofence management system instructs the userdevice to provide an alert on the user device regarding the associatedpoints of interest within the clustered geofence boundary. The geofencemanagement system also provides content information for the alert to theuser device. For example, the geofence management system invokes thelocation application on the user device. The location application thenprovides an alarm, vibration, or other alert signal on the user device,which the user then receives, along with the content information for theclustered points of interest. That is, the geofence management systemprovides a content-based alert notification to the user for theclustered points of interest.

In alternative example embodiments, the geofence management systemfunctionality may operate or otherwise execute partially or entirely onthe user device. For example, the user device stores location data forpoints of interest, along with content for the points of interest. Whenan application on the user device, such as a geofence management systemapplication, determines that points of interest are nearby, theapplication clusters related points of interest together. Theapplication then defines a single geofence boundary around the clusteredpoints of interest to form a clustered geofence boundary. When the userdevice enters the clustered geofence boundary, the application retrievesstored content for the points of interest and provides a content-basedalert for the clustered points of interest.

The content information comprises any information about one or more ofthe clustered points of interest. For example, if the clustered geofenceboundary encompasses three coffee shops of interest to the user, thecontent information may inform a user entering the clustered geofenceboundary that “three coffee shops are nearby.” If the clustered geofenceencompasses a mall having three stores providing discount offers, forexample, the content may inform a user entering the clustered geofenceboundary that “three offers are available within the mall.” If thegeofence cluster encompasses fuel stations along a planned user route orat a user's planned destination, the content information can inform theuser that “three fuel stations are upcoming along your route” or that“three fuel stations are available at your destination.” In each case,the content information can include details regarding each merchantlocation, such as merchant name, location, type of merchant, productsoffered at the merchant, offers available to the user for the merchant,or other suitable information.

By clustering points of interest together into a single geofenceboundary, the methods and systems taught herein reduce the number ofalerts a user receives while in a given location. That is, rather thanreceiving a single geofence-based alert for each individual point ofinterest that the user might encounter—such as while traveling through adensely populated area—the methods and systems taught herein allow theuser to receive individual alerts comprising multiple points ofinterest. In other words, multiple points of interest that wouldotherwise each trigger an alert are consolidated into a single,clustered alert. Further, because a user device employing the methodsand systems taught herein does not have to receive, store, and processas many geofence-based alerts, the methods and systems taught hereinboth reduce battery consumption of the user device and conserve storagespace. For example, the user device does not have to store as manygeofence coordinates in its cache, and the user device does not have toexpend battery power alerting the user of every point of interest thatuser might encounter.

Example System Architectures

Turning now to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like (butnot necessarily identical) elements throughout the figures, exampleembodiments are described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system for clusteringgeofence-based alert notifications, in accordance with certain exampleembodiments. As depicted in FIG. 1, the exemplary operating environment100 includes a user network computing device 110, a geofence managementcomputing system 120, and a location marketing computing system 130.

Each network 105 includes a wired or wireless telecommunication means bywhich network devices (including devices 110, 120, and 130) can exchangedata. For example, each network 105 can include a local area network(“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), an intranet, an Internet, a mobiletelephone network, or any combination thereof. Throughout the discussionof example embodiments, it should be understood that the terms “data”and “information” are used interchangeably herein to refer to text,images, audio, video, or any other form of information that can exist ina computer-based environment. In some embodiments, a user 101 associatedwith a device must install an application and/or make a featureselection to obtain the benefits of the techniques described herein.

Each network device 110, 120, and 130 includes a device having acommunication module capable of transmitting and receiving data over thenetwork 105. For example, each network device 110, 120, and 130 caninclude a server, desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, atelevision with one or more processors embedded therein and/or coupledthereto, smart phone, handheld computer, personal digital assistant(“PDA”), or any other wired or wireless, processor-driven device. In theexample embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the network devices 110, 120, and130 are operated by end-users or consumers, merchant system operators,geofence management system operators, offer provider system operators,and financial account issuer system operators, respectively.

The user 101 can use the communication application 111, such as a webbrowser application or a stand-alone application, to view, download,upload, or otherwise access documents or web pages via a distributednetwork 105. The network 105 includes a wired or wirelesstelecommunication system or device by which network devices (includingdevices 110, 120, and 130) can exchange data. For example, the network105 can include a local area network (“LAN”), a wide area network(“WAN”), an intranet, an Internet, storage area network (SAN), personalarea network (PAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wireless localarea network (WLAN), a virtual private network (VPN), a cellular orother mobile communication network, Bluetooth, near field communication(NFC), or any combination thereof or any other appropriate architectureor system that facilitates the communication of signals, data, and/ormessages.

The communication application 111 can interact with web servers or othercomputing devices connected to the network 105, including the locationmarketing web server 131 of the location marketing system 130 and theweb server 121 of the geofence management system 120.

The user device 110 includes, for example, a location application 112that is configured to interact and communicate with the geofencemanagement system 120 and the location marketing system 130 via thecommunication application 111 and the network 105. For example, thelocation application 112 can be used and configured to receive and senddevice location data to the geofence management system 120 and thelocation marketing system 130. As used herein, “location data” caninclude any data processed in an electronic communications network or byan electronic communications service that indicates the geographicalposition of the user device 110. For example, the location data mayinclude latitude and longitude for the user device 110 or a location ofa point of interest.

The location application 112 may also be configured to communicate andinteract with a location-based service provider that, in conjunctionwith the user device 110, facilitates determination of the location ofthe user device 110. For example, the location application 112 may,along with a location-based service, rely on WiFi signals and cellularcommunication towers to determine the location of the user device 110.Additionally or alternatively, the location application 112 may rely onsatellites, Global Positioning System (“GPS”) location technology, aNetwork Location Provider (“NLP”), a map application, or other locationidentifying technology of the user device 110 to determine location datafor the user device 110. For example, in certain embodiments thelocation application 112 may communicate and interact with the locationprovider 123 of the geofence management system 120. The locationapplication 112 is also configured to send and receive alert contentfrom the geofence management system 120 or the location marketing system130. For example, location application 112 is configured to receivecontent regarding coupons, specials offers, or other items related tothe marketing efforts of the location marketing system 130. The locationapplication 112 is also configured to receive content unrelated tomarketing efforts, such as names of parks or other landmarks that may beof interest to a user 101.

The user device 110 includes a data storage unit 114 that is accessibleby the communication application 111 and the location application 112.In certain embodiments, for example, the data storage unit 114 stores,at the option of the user, data regarding the location of the device,such as Wi-Fi hotspots or cellular communication towers that are or havebeen available to the user device 110. The data storage unit 114 of theuser device 110 can also store content related to the location data. Theexemplary data storage unit 114 can include one or more tangiblecomputer-readable media. The data storage unit 114 can be stored on theuser device 110 or can be logically coupled to the user device 110. Forexample, the data storage unit 114 can include on-board flash memoryand/or one or more removable memory cards or removable flash memory.

The geofence management computing system 120 comprises a web sever 121and associated web site 122. The web server 121, for example, mayrepresent the computer-implemented system that the geofence managementcomputing system 120 employs to manage geofences on behalf of a user101. In certain example embodiments, a user 101, accesses the website122 of the web server 121 to associate points of interest with thegeofence management system 120. The geofence management system 120, suchas through the web server 121, can also be used and configured toreceive point-of-interest location data from the location marketingsystem 130 via the network 105, a merchant system (not shown), or anyother system that provides location data for points of interest. Thegeofence management system 120 can likewise be used and configured toreceive and store content information regarding the points of interest.In certain embodiments, the geofence management system 120 comprises aweb-crawler, for example, that obtains and indexes location data forpoints of interest that may be of interest to users generally or to aparticular user 101.

The geofence management system 120 includes an accessible data storageunit 124. In certain embodiments, for example, the data storage unit 124stores location data for the user device, such as cellular communicationtowers and Wi-Fi signals that are or have been available to the userdevice 110. The data storage unit 124 may also store point-of-interestcontent information received from the location marketing system 130, forexample. The exemplary data storage unit 124 can include one or moretangible computer-readable media. The data storage unit 124 can bestored on the user device 110 or can be logically coupled to the userdevice 110. For example, the data storage unit 124 can include on-boardflash memory and/or one or more removable memory cards or removableflash memory.

The geofence management system 120 may execute and operate independentlyof the location application 112 as shown. Additionally or alternatively,the geofence management system 120 may execute completely or partiallywithin the location application 112, or it may execute and operate as acompanion application to the location application 112 on the user device110. The geofence management system 20 can use a location provider 123that determines the location of the user device 110 based on, forexample, location data received from the location application 112. Thelocation provider may rely on WiFi signals, cellular communication data,satellites, a Global Positioning System (“GPS”) location technology, aNetwork Location Provider (“NLP”), a map application, or other locationidentifying technology of the user device 110 to determine the userdevice location.

The location marketing system 130 comprises a location-marketing server131 and associated web site 132. The location marketing system server131 may represent the computer-implemented system that the locationmarketing system 130 employs to provide point-of-interest location datato the geofence management system 120. The location marketing systemserver 131 may also represent the computer-implemented system thatgenerates alert content associated with the points of interest. Incertain example embodiments, the location marketing system 130 mayrepresent any number of systems that geofence management system 120 mayused gather point-of-interest location data and content information. Forexample, the location marketing system 130 may be the marketing systemof a product manufacturer or a service provider. The location marketingsystem 130 may be a social network system of a user that can providepreferences and historical data of a user's activities. The locationmarketing system 130 may be a coupon aggregator or provider. Thelocation marketing system 130 may also be a mapping program. Thelocation marketing system 130 may be any other service or system thatmay provide location data and content information that the geofencemanagement system 120 can use to define the location of a point ofinterest and to obtain content information for the point of interest.

The location marketing system 130 can communicate with the geofencemanagement system 120 or the user device 110 via any availabletechnologies. These technologies may include, but would not be limitedto, an Internet connection via the network 105, email, text, instantmessaging, or other suitable communication technologies. The locationmarketing system 130 may include a data storage unit 134 accessible bythe server 131 of the location marketing system 130. The data storageunit 133 can include one or more tangible computer-readable storagedevices. The data storage unit 134 can be stored on the locationmarketing system 130 or can be logically coupled to location marketingsystem 130. For example, the data storage unit 134 can include on-boardflash memory and/or one or more removable memory cards or removableflash memory.

It will be appreciated that the network connections shown in FIG. 1 areexemplary and that other means of establishing a communications linkbetween the computers and devices can be used. Moreover, those havingordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present disclosurewill appreciate that the user device 110, the geofence management system120, and the location marketing system illustrated in FIG. 1 can haveany of several other suitable computer system configurations. Forexample, a user device 110 embodied as a mobile phone or handheldcomputer may or may not include all the components described herein.

Example Processes

The components of the example operating environment 100 are describedhereinafter with reference to the example methods illustrated in FIGS.2-4.

FIG. 2 is a block flow diagram depicting a method for redeeming offerswhile conducting transactions with an geofence management system, inaccordance with certain example embodiments.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in block 205, the geofence managementsystem 120 obtains and stores location data for points of interest. Thatis, a geofence management system 120 obtains and stores locationinformation for geographical locations that might be of interest to abroad range of different users 101. For example, the locations cancomprise specific merchant storefronts, retailers, restaurants,landmarks, buildings, parks, rail stations, airports, ports, sportsarenas, or any other location that might be of interest to one or moreusers 101. Typically, the location data comprises the latitude andlongitude coordinates of each point of interest. Additionally oralternatively, the location data may comprise any other suitablelocation data for points of interest, such as the street address foreach point of interest or the Ordnance Survey Grid Referenceinformation. In certain example embodiments, the geofence managementsystem 120 converts such location data to latitude and longitudecoordinates for the points of interest. The location data can alsoinclude information regarding specific points of interest, such as thename of the point of interest.

The geofence management system 120 obtains location data from anysource. For example, a location marketing system 130 provides thegeofence management system 120 with location data for points of interestrelated to the marketing efforts of the location marketing system 130.Additionally or alternatively, merchants can provide the geofencemanagement system 120 with location information for merchant storefrontsof the merchant. For example, merchants may provide the geofencemanagement system 120 with location data for point-of-sale terminalsassociated with the merchant.

In addition to location data, the geofence management system obtainscontent information related to points of interest. For example, alocation marketing system 130 may provide location data for all merchantstorefronts of a coffee shop chain, along with content for coupons orother special offers that the chain is providing. The content of anoffer can include details about the offer, such as conditions andlimitations of the offer. The content may also describe the offer, suchas “20% off coffee” at all the merchant's storefronts. The offer can beany type of offer, such as a ticket, coupon, discount, rebate, voucher,special offer, prepaid offer, or any other type of promotion that can beexchanged for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a productor service, for example. For online retailers or merchants, for example,the offer may be any type of coupon code, promotional or promo code,discount code, key code, reward code, or any other type code ofexchanged for a financial discount.

Additionally or alternatively, in certain example embodiments thegeofence management system 120 gathers point-of-interest location dataand associated content. For example, the geofence management system 120collects point-of-interest location data that might be of interest tousers 101. In certain example embodiments, a user 101 may, such asthrough a web site 122 of the geofence management system 120, providenames of points of interest to the geofence management system 120. Thegeofence management system 120 then determines the location data for thepoints of interest, along with any content pertinent to the points ofinterest. In certain example embodiments, the geofence management system120 may, at the option of the user 101, rely on the user history of theuser 101 to identify points of interest for a particular a user 101. Theuser history can include, for example, the user's social networkcontent, user content, purchase history, search history, or any otheritems related to the user's online activities. For example, if a user101 frequently purchases electronics, the geofence management system 120may, at the option of the user 101, obtain location data for electronicsstores on behalf of the user 101. In certain example embodiments, thegeofence management system 120 may rely on a web crawler to obtainlocation data (and content information) for points of interest.

Once the geofence management system 120 obtains location data for pointsof interest, the geofence management system 120 stores the location datain an accessible database. The geofence management system 120 alsostores content information for the points of interest, along with anyother information regarding the points of interest. That is, thegeofence management system 120 stores the location data and content sothat the data and content can be retrieved and used when the user device110 is near one or more of the points of interest. For example, thegeofence management system 120 stores the location data and contentinformation in the data storage unit 124 of the geofence managementsystem 120.

In block 210, the geofence management system 120 obtains, at the optionof the user, a location of a user device 110. That is, to managegeofence-based alerts for a particular user, the geofence managementsystem 120, at the option of the user, receives and monitors thelocation of the user device 110, such as a mobile phone of the user 101.A location application 112 on the user device 110, for example,determines the location of the user device 110, such as the latitude andlongitude coordinates of the user device 110. For example, the locationapplication 112 coordinates with a location-based service to determinethe location of the user device 110. Additionally or alternatively, thelocation application 112 can rely on a global positioning system todetermine the location of the user device 110. Additionally oralternatively, the location for the user device 110 may comprise anyother suitable location data, such as the street address for the userdevice 110 or Ordnance Survey Grid Reference information for the userdevice 110. The location application 112, for example, communicates thelocation data to the geofence management system 120, and the geofencemanagement system receives the location data. In certain embodiments,the user 101 may have to provide or adjust a setting on the user device110 in order for the geofence management system 120 to obtain thelocation of the user device 110. For example, the user 101 may have toprovide or adjust a setting of the location application 112 so that thelocation application 112 can determine location information of the userdevice 110.

In certain example embodiments, the geofence management system 120converts location data to latitude and longitude coordinates for theuser device 110. In certain example embodiments, the geofence managementsystem 120 and associated location provider 123 operate as alocation-based service that, in conjunction with the locationapplication 112 of the user device 110, determine and monitor thelocation of the user device 110 at the option of the user. For example,the geofence management system 120 uses the location provider 123 todetermine and monitor the location of the user device 110 based onlocation data received from the location application 112 of the userdevice 110.

In certain example embodiments, an application on the user device 110,such as the location application 112, may periodically refresh thelocation data for the user device 110. That is, an application on theuser device 110 may, in association with a location-based service orglobal positioning system, determine the location of the user device 110at configurable intervals. By refreshing the location data, theapplication on the user device 110 obtains new location data when thedevice moves to a different location. In certain example embodiments,the location application 112 communicates the location data of the userdevice 110 to the geofence management system 120 when new location datais obtained. Additionally or alternatively, the location application 112on the user device 110 may periodically communicates the location datato the geofence management system 120 at configurable intervals,regardless of whether new location data was obtained during the refresh.The geofence management system 120 then receives the locationinformation for the user device 110.

In block 215, the geofence management system 120 identifies specificpoints of interest based on the location of the user device 110. Thatis, after determining the location of the user device 110, the geofencemanagement system 120 relies on the location data for points of interestto identify points of interest that are near or nearby the determinedlocation of the user device 110. For example, the geofence managementsystem 120 accesses point-of-interest location data in a database on thedata storage unit 124 to identify points of interest near the userdevice 110. Nearby points of interest, for example, can comprise any orall points of interest that are within a configurable radius around theuser device 110. For example, the geofence management system 120 maydetermine that the near or nearby points of interest are those that arewithin a 10 kilometer radius of the user device 110.

To determine whether a particular point of interest falls within aconfigurable radius around the user device 110, the geofence managementsystem 120 can compare the received location data for the user device110 with the location data for points of interest that geofencemanagement system 120 has obtained. For example, the geofence managementsystem 120 can compare the latitude and longitude coordinates of theuser device 110 with the latitude and longitude coordinates for pointsof interest that geofence management system 120 maintains on datastorage unit 124 of the geofence management system 120. If the locationdata for a point of interest places the point of interest within theconfigurable radius around the user device, for example, the geofencemanagement system 120 determines that the point of interest is near theuser device 110 (and hence presumably the user).

In certain example embodiments, the geofence management system 120 mayidentify specific points of interests that the geofence managementsystem 120 anticipates will be near the user device 110. That is, thegeofence management system 120 may, at the option of the user, receiveor obtain information indicating that the user device 110 will be nearspecific points of interest. For example, a user 101 may enterdestination information into a mapping application (not shown) on theuser device. Based on the current location of the user device and thelocation of the destination, the mapping application determines a routefor the user device 110. The location application 112, for example, maybe configured to receive the planned route and destination informationfrom the mapping application and then communicate the planned route anddestination information to the geofence management system 120. Thegeofence management system 120 receives the planned route and intendeddestination information for the user device 110. The geofence managementsystem 120 can then identify specific points of interest along theplanned route and at the expected destination. For example, the geofencemanagement system 120 can use the location provider 123 to identifyspecific points of interest along the planned route and at the expecteddestination. In certain example embodiments, the location application112 may operate as the mapping application for the user device 110.

In block 220, the geofence management system 120 associates (clusters)points of interest within a clustered geofence boundary. That is, thegeofence management system 120 determines relationships among theidentified points of interest that are near (or expected to be near) theuser device. For example, two or more points of interest may be groupedtogether based on their proximity to each other, their affiliation witheach other, their affiliation with a planned route or destination of theuser device 110, or any other determined relationship. The geofencemanagement system 120 then defines a single geofence boundary aroundrelated points of interest to form a clustered geofence boundary. Thegeofence management system 120 also communicates the clustered geofenceboundary data to the user device 110. In certain example embodiments,because the geofence management system 120 defines clustered geofencesbased on points of interest near the user device of a particular user,for example, the geofence management system 120 dynamically createsclustered geofences for particular users. The details of block 220 aredescribed in further detail below with reference to FIG. 3.

In block 225, the geofence management system 120 determines that theuser device 110 has entered the clustered geofence boundary. That is,the geofence management system 120 determines, based on a secondlocation of the user device 110, that the user device 110 is at orwithin the geofence boundary. For example, an application on the userdevice 110, such as the location application 112, monitors the locationof the user device 110 as described herein a location of the user device110. In certain example embodiments, the location application 112 mayperiodically refresh the device location data at configurable intervals.The location application 112 compares the location data of the userdevice 110 with the clustered geofence boundary data and determines thatthe user device 110 is at or within the clustered geofence boundary. Thelocation application 112 then communicates a notice of the entranceevent to the geofence management system 120. That is, the locationapplication 112 informs the geofence management system 120 that the userdevice is at or within the clustered geofence boundary.

Additionally or alternatively, the location application 112 on the userdevice 110, such as the location application 112, communicates locationdata for the user device 110 to the geofence management system 120, andthe geofence management system 120 determines that the user device is ator within the geofence boundary. For example, the location application112 periodically communicates location data for the user device 110 tothe geofence management system 120 at configurable intervals, such as atconfigurable location data refresh times, as described herein. Based onthe location data received from the user device 110, the geofencemanagement system 120 compares the location data of the user device 110with the clustered geofence boundary data. The geofence managementsystem 120 then determines that the user device 110 is at or within theclustered geofence boundary.

In block 230, the geofence management system 120 notifies the userdevice 110 to provide a clustered geofence alert to the user 101. Thatis, based on the determination that the user device 110 is at or withinthe clustered geofence boundary, the geofence management system 120informs the user device 110 to provide an alert notification to the user101 regarding one or more of the associated points of interestencompassed within the clustered geofence boundary. For example, thegeofence management system 120 communicates a notification to thelocation application 112 of the user device 110, thereby invoking thelocation application 112. The location application 112 then provides analert on the user device 110 to the user 101.

The alert can be any type of configurable alert. For example, thelocation application 112 can provide an audible alert, a vibration, avisible alert (such as a text message), or any combination thereof. Incertain example embodiments, the location application 112 may presentpoint-of-interest details on the display of the user device 110, such ason a map or in e-mail. The location application 112 may also rely on anyother configurable alerting procedure, such as sending an email, a pushnotification, a text message, or another communication to the user 101.The location application 112 may also store the alert for later user. Incertain example embodiments, the user 101 can configure the alert asdesired by setting or modifying user preferences on the user device 110.

The geofence management system 120 also provides content informationassociated with the alert so that the alert is a content-based alert.For example, when notifying the user device 110 to provide a clusteredgeofence alert to the user 101, the geofence management system 120communicates content to the user device 110 accompany the alert. Thelocation application 112, for example, receives the content informationalong with the alert and provides the content to the user 101 as part ofthe alert. Additionally or alternatively, the geofence management system120 informs the location application 112 of the entrance event at orwithin the clustered geofence boundary, and the location application 112determines content to associate with the alert. For example, thelocation application 112 receives alert content along the clusteredgeofence boundary data as described in block 220 (and in block 320 ofFIG. 3). The location application 112 then stores the content in thedata storage unit 114 of the user device 110. When the geofencemanagement system 120 informs the location application 112 of theentrance event, the location application 112, for example, identifiesstored content information to accompany the alert.

The content information comprises any configurable information about oneor more of the clustered points of interest. For example, if theclustered geofence boundary encompasses three coffee shops of interestto the user, the content information may inform a user entering theclustered geofence boundary that “three coffee shops are nearby.” If theclustered geofence encompasses a mall having three stores providingdiscount offers, for example, the content may inform a user entering theclustered geofence boundary that “three offers are available within themall.” If the geofence cluster encompasses fuel stations along a planneduser route or at a user's planned destination, the content informationcan inform the user that “three fuel stations are upcoming along yourroute” or that “three fuel stations are available at your destination.”In each case, the content information can include details regarding eachmerchant location, such as merchant name, location, type of merchant,products offered at the merchant, offers available to the user for themerchant, or other suitable information.

In block 235, the user 101 receives the clustered geofence notification.That is, the user 101 receives the audible alert, vibration, visiblealert, push notification, text message, or another communication orsignal from the user device 110 associated with the clustered geofencealert. The user 101 also receives the content associated with the alert.For example, depending on how the geofence management system 120clustered the points of interest, the location application 112 informsthe user 101, as part of the alert, that “three coffee shops arenearby,” “three offers are available within the mall,” “three fuelstations are upcoming along your route,” or that “three fuel stationsare available at your destination.” As can be appreciated, the user 101can receive any content related to one or more of the clustered pointsof interest.

While the examples and embodiments described herein illustrate providinga clustered geofence alert to a user 101, it will be appreciated thatthe geofence management system 120 can provide multiple clusteredgeofence alerts to a particular user 101. For example, the geofencemanagement system 120, operating or otherwise executing partially orentirely on the user device 110, obtains the location of the user device110. Based on the location of the user device 110, the geofencemanagement system 120 may cluster two or more nearby points of interestbased on their proximity to each other. The geofence management system120 may separately, based on the same location determination of the userdevice 110, cluster two or more nearby points of interest based on theiraffiliation to a merchant chain, for example. The geofence managementsystem 120 can then define separate geofence boundary for the clusteredpoints of interest—one encompassing the those clustered based onproximity and another encompassing those points of interest clusteredbased on affiliation to the merchant chain. In certain exampleembodiments, the geofence management system 120 provides clusteredgeofence boundaries and content-based alerts, along with conventiongeofence alerts.

FIG. 3 is a block flow diagram depicting a method for establishing auser account with an geofence management system 120, in accordance withcertain example embodiments.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, in block 305 of method 220, thegeofence management system 120 determines relationships among theidentified points of interest. That is, after identifying specificpoints of interest as described above with reference to block 215, thegeofence management system 120 uses information about the points ofinterest to identify relationships among the points of interest. Forexample, the geofence management system 120 relies on informationreceived from the location marketing system 130 and stored on the datastorage unit 124 to identify relationships among the points of interest.In certain other example embodiments, the geofence management system 120may use a web crawler to locate information regarding identified pointsof interest. That is, the geofence management system 120 may use asearch engine (not shown) associated with geofence management system 120to determine that two locations share a relationship.

Numerous relationships among points of interest are possible. In certainexample embodiments, points of interest relate to each other based onproximity. That is, the identified points of interest relate to eachother based on their distance to each. To determine proximity among theidentified points of interest, the geofence management system 120compares the location data of the identified points. That is, theproximity of the points of interest to each other is a function of theirlocation relative to each other and the distances between the locations.For example, the geofence management system 120 may determine that threeidentified merchant storefronts providing offers to a user 101 arewithin a within a kilometer of each other.

Additionally or alternatively, the points of interest may relate to eachother based on an affiliation. That is, based on information obtainedregarding the points of interest, such as information obtained from alocation marketing system 130 or a merchant regarding the points ofinterest, the geofence management system 120 may determine that two ormore points of interest share an affiliation with each other. Forexample, the geofence management system 120 may determine that multiplemerchant storefronts near the user device are affiliated with the samemerchant chain, such as a chain of coffee shops. The geofence managementsystem 120 thus determines that the three coffee shops share anaffiliation to the coffee shop chain.

Additionally or alternatively, the geofence management system 120 maydetermine that separate merchant storefronts within a central locationare affiliated with the central location. That is, with or withoutdetermining whether the locations are proximate to each other, thegeofence management system 120 may determine that two or more points ofinterest exist in the same location. For example, three merchantstorefronts providing offers may each be affiliated with a shoppingmall, a shopping center, or any other type of shopping complex. Thegeofence management system 120 thus determines a relationship ofaffiliation to the shopping mall or shopping center for the threemerchant storefronts that are within the shopping mall or shoppingcenter.

Additionally or alternatively, the geofence management system 120 maydetermine an affiliation of points of interest based on offer contentassociated with the points of interest. That is, of several identifiedpoints of interest near the user device 110, two may be providingdiscount offers. For example, of five restaurants identified as beingnear the user device 110, two unaffiliated restaurants may be providingdiscounts on food purchases. The geofence management system 120 may thusdetermine that two otherwise unaffiliated restaurants are affiliatedbased on the fact that the two restaurants are both providing offers.

Additionally or alternatively, the geofence management system 120 maydetermine a relationship of affiliation based on a planned route ordestination of the user 101. For example, a user 101 may enterdestination information into a mapping application on a user device 110as described herein. Based on identified points of interest along theroute, for example, the management system 120 may determine that two ormore of the points of interest are affiliated based on the plannedroute. For example, of several identified points of interest along theroute, the geofence management system 120 may determine that twootherwise unaffiliated fuel stations are in fact affiliated because theyare located along the planned route of the user device 110 (andpresumably the user 101). Similarly, with or without determining whetheridentified points of interest are proximate to each other, the geofencemanagement system 120 may determine that several points of interest areat the destination of the user device 110. The geofence managementsystem 120 thus determines that the points of interest at thedestination are affiliated based on their location at the destination ofthe user device 110.

Additionally or alternatively, the geofence management system 120 maydetermine a relationship of affiliation based on locations that aretypically visited together. For example, the geofence management system120 may determine that two stores near a user device are often visitedtogether, such as recreational vehicle dealer and a camping supplystore. Similarly, with or without determining whether identified pointsof interest are proximate to each other, the geofence management system120 may determine that two parks are often visited together, such asGrand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. In anotherexample, the geofence management system 120 may determine that a parkand a museum are often visited together and thus should be clusteredwithin the same geofence boundary.

In block 310, the geofence management system 120 associates (clusters)points of interest based on the determined relationships among thepoints of interest. That is, after determining relationships among thepoints of interest, the geofence management system 120 groups theidentified points of interest together based on the determinedrelationships. For example, two or more points of interest that areproximate to each other are associated with each other based on theirproximity. Likewise, two or more points of interest that are affiliatedwith each other are associated with each other based on the affiliation.For example, three storefronts within a mall are associated with eachother based on their affiliation with the mall. Five fuel stations alongan anticipated route of the user device 110, for example, are associatedtogether based on their affiliation to the anticipated route. In certainexample embodiments, geofence management system 120 stores thedetermined association on the data storage unit 124 of the geofencemanagement system 120, such an on an accessible record of identified andassociated points of interest.

In block 315, the geofence management system 120 defines a singlegeofence boundary around the clustered points of interest. That is, thegeofence management system 120 determines a clustered geofence boundary,such as perimeter, that encompasses two or more of the associated pointsof interest. For example, the geofence management system 120 definesgeofence boundary data, such as latitude and longitude coordinates, thatencompass two or more of the associated points of interest. Additionallyor alternatively, the geofence boundary data encompassing the two ormore points of interest can be a predefined set of boundaries, such ascity or county limit boundaries. Further, in certain exampleembodiments, the geofence management system 120 can define a singlegeofence boundary based on points of interest that are near (oranticipated to be near) the user device. In this case, the definedgeofence boundaries are dynamic based on the location of the userdevice. That is, if the user device moves, the geofence managementsystem 120 may create new or additional geofence boundaries based on thenew location of the user device.

In another example embodiment, clusters of points of interest can becreated in advance for all users without reference to a particularlocation of any user. In this case, the points of interest can bedetermined and clustered together based on criteria described herein andassociated with a geofence boundary. Then, as a particular userapproaches or enters a geofence boundary, the predetermined cluster canbe identified and presented to the user as described herein.

In certain example embodiments, the clustered geofence boundary data cancomprise a location point and a defined, configurable radius around thelocation point. For example, the location point can be a centrallocation of all identified points of interest in the cluster, a locationof one of the identified points of interest in the cluster, a relationallocation for all points of interest in the cluster (for example, a malllocation in which the points of interest are located), or other suitablelocation point. As a configurable radius, the radius around the locationpoint can be any distance that the geofence management system 120determines. For example, the configurable radius of the clusteredgeofence boundary around a mall may be 200 meters, such that a userdevice 110 in the mall parking lot, or a user device 110 entering themall, receives a clustered geofence alert for the mall as describedherein. Alternatively, the configurable radius may be larger. Forexample, the geofence management system 120 may define a clusteredgeofence boundary radius of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 70, 80,100, or more kilometers around an anticipated destination of the userdevice 110.

In certain example embodiments, the clustered geofence boundary data mayencompass the associated points of interest by establishing a geofencethat does not rely on a radius, but rather a defined region or barrierbetween the associated points of interest and the user device 110. Thatis, the geofence management system 120 establishes a pass-throughgeofence barrier between the associated points of interest and the userdevice 110. For example, the geofence management system 120 may define aregion that is five kilometers long and one kilometer wide and that liesbetween the associated points of interest and the user device 110, thusforming a five kilometer barrier line between the associated points ofinterest and the user device 110. When the user device 110 passesthrough the geofence barrier, the geofence management system 120provides the clustered geofence alert as described herein.

In block 320, the geofence management system 120 communicates theclustered geofence boundary data to the user device 110. That is, afterthe geofence management system 120 determines clustered geofenceboundary data encompassing the two or more of the associated points ofinterest, the geofence management system 120 transmits the data to theuser device 110. For example, the geofence management system 120transmits latitude and longitude coordinates to the user device 110 forthe clustered geofence boundary. The user device 110 receives thetransmission, and then stores the geofence boundary data as describedherein, such as in the cache of the user device 110 and/or on the datastorage unit 114 of the user device 110.

It will be appreciated that the functionality of the geofence managementsystem 120 may operate or otherwise execute partially or entirely on theuser device 110. For example, the geofence management system 120 mayoperate with or otherwise execute within or in association with thelocation application 112 on the user device 110. That is, the userdevice 110, such as a mobile telephone, obtains and stores location datafor points of interest, along with associated content for the points ofinterest, in the data storage unit 114 of the user device 110. Anapplication on the user device 110, such as the location application112, determines the location of the user device 110 in conjunction witha location-based service or via a global positioning system. Thelocation application 112 then determines points of interest that arenear the user device 110, or that are along a planned route ordestination of the user device 110. The location application 112clusters related points of interest, and then defines a clusteredgeofence boundary around the clustered points of interest. The locationapplication 112 stores the clustered geofence boundary data in the datastorage unit 114 of the user device 110, for example. The locationapplication 112 then monitors the location of the user device 110 anddetermines when the user device 110 is at or within the clusteredgeofence boundary. Based on the clustered geofence entrance event, thelocation application 112 provides a content-based alert to the user 101regarding one or more of the points of interest, and the user 101receives the alert.

In an example embodiment, the user device 110, such as a mobiletelephone of the user 101, determines a first location of the userdevice 110. The mobile telephone then communicates the first location tothe geofence management system 120. That is, the mobile telephonecommunicates location data to geofence management system 120, and thegeofence management system 120 receives the location data. Based on thefirst location of the mobile telephone, the geofence management system120 identifies points of interest near the mobile telephone and thenassociates (clusters) points of interest based on relationships amongthe points of interest as described herein. The geofence managementsystem 120 determines a single geofence boundary encompassing two ormore of the associated points of interest, and then communicates thegeofence boundary data for the clustered geofence boundary to the mobiletelephone.

The mobile telephone receives the clustered geofence boundary data. Themobile telephone then determines a second location for the mobiletelephone, and communicates the location data for the second locationdetermination to the geofence management system 120. Based on the secondlocation data from the mobile telephone, the geofence management system120 determines that the mobile telephone has entered the geofenceboundary. The geofence management system 120 then communicates anotification to the mobile telephone to provide a clustered,geofence-based alert on the mobile phone. That is, the geofencemanagement system 120 instructs the mobile telephone to provide an alertregarding one or more of the associated points of interest. The mobiletelephone receives the notification, and then provides the clusteredgeofence-based alert on the mobile telephone. The user 101 receives theclustered, geofence-based alert on the user's mobile telephone.

FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting points of interest associated into asingle (clustered) geofence boundary based on proximity in accordancewith certain example embodiments. For example, the geofence managementsystem 120 determines that three merchant storefronts (Merchant A,Merchant B, and Merchant C) are each within a five kilometer radius 403of a user device 110. Rather than establishing a separate geofenceboundary 402 around each of the three merchant storefronts, the geofencemanagement system 120 defines a single, clustered geofence boundary 401around the three merchant storefronts. When the user device 110 entersthe clustered geofence boundary 401, the geofence management system 120notifies the user device 110 to alert the user of the entrance event.For example, the user device 110 provides a single alert to the userthat “you have three nearby offers.”

In certain example embodiments, the geofence management system 120clusters points of interest together based on relationships as describedherein, but without regard to the location of a particular user device110. That is, the geofence management system 120 does not, in certainembodiments, dynamically cluster geofences together as a particular userdevice 110 changes location. Rather, the geofence management system 120obtains and stores location data for points of interest as described inblock 205. After obtaining and storing location data for points ofinterest, the geofence management system 120 associates (clusters)points of interest within a clustered geofence boundary. That is, thegeofence management system 120 determines relationships among the pointsof interest, such as proximity or affiliation as described herein.

The geofence management system 120 then associates (clusters) therelated points of interest together based on the determinedrelationships. The geofence management system 120 also defines a singlegeofence boundary encompassing the clustered points of interest asdescribed in blocks 310 and 315. For example, merchant storefronts thatare close together or that are often visited together may be clusteredinto a single, clustered geofence boundary. Additionally oralternatively, the geofence management system 120 may cluster points ofinterest into a single geofence boundary along a route that multipleusers travel, such as an interstate or major highway. The geofencemanagement system 120 communicates the clustered geofence boundary datato one or more user devices 110 as described in block 320. When the oneor more users enter the clustered geofence boundary, the geofencemanagement system 120 identifies the entrance event (as described inblock 225) and provides a clustered geofence notification on the userdevice 110 (as described in blocks 230 and 235).

Other Example Embodiments

FIG. 5 depicts a computing machine 2000 and a module 2050 in accordancewith certain example embodiments. The computing machine 2000 maycorrespond to any of the various computers, servers, mobile devices,embedded systems, or computing systems presented herein. The module 2050may comprise one or more hardware or software elements configured tofacilitate the computing machine 2000 in performing the various methodsand processing functions presented herein. The computing machine 2000may include various internal or attached components such as a processor2010, system bus 2020, system memory 2030, storage media 2040,input/output interface 2060, and a network interface 2070 forcommunicating with a network 2080.

The computing machine 2000 may be implemented as a conventional computersystem, an embedded controller, a laptop, a server, a mobile device, asmartphone, a set-top box, a kiosk, a vehicular information system, onemore processors associated with a television, a customized machine, anyother hardware platform, or any combination or multiplicity thereof. Thecomputing machine 2000 may be a distributed system configured tofunction using multiple computing machines interconnected via a datanetwork or bus system.

The processor 2010 may be configured to execute code or instructions toperform the operations and functionality described herein, managerequest flow and address mappings, and to perform calculations andgenerate commands. The processor 2010 may be configured to monitor andcontrol the operation of the components in the computing machine 2000.The processor 2010 may be a general purpose processor, a processor core,a multiprocessor, a reconfigurable processor, a microcontroller, adigital signal processor (“DSP”), an application specific integratedcircuit (“ASIC”), a graphics processing unit (“GPU”), a fieldprogrammable gate array (“FPGA”), a programmable logic device (“PLD”), acontroller, a state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware components,any other processing unit, or any combination or multiplicity thereof.The processor 2010 may be a single processing unit, multiple processingunits, a single processing core, multiple processing cores, specialpurpose processing cores, co-processors, or any combination thereof.According to certain embodiments, the processor 2010 along with othercomponents of the computing machine 2000 may be a virtualized computingmachine executing within one or more other computing machines.

The system memory 2030 may include non-volatile memories such asread-only memory (“ROM”), programmable read-only memory (“PROM”),erasable programmable read-only memory (“EPROM”), flash memory, or anyother device capable of storing program instructions or data with orwithout applied power. The system memory 2030 may also include volatilememories such as random access memory (“RAM”), static random accessmemory (“SRAM”), dynamic random access memory (“DRAM”), and synchronousdynamic random access memory (“SDRAM”). Other types of RAM also may beused to implement the system memory 2030. The system memory 2030 may beimplemented using a single memory module or multiple memory modules.While the system memory 2030 is depicted as being part of the computingmachine 2000, one skilled in the art will recognize that the systemmemory 2030 may be separate from the computing machine 2000 withoutdeparting from the scope of the subject technology. It should also beappreciated that the system memory 2030 may include, or operate inconjunction with, a non-volatile storage device such as the storagemedia 2040.

The storage media 2040 may include a hard disk, a floppy disk, a compactdisc read only memory (“CD-ROM”), a digital versatile disc (“DVD”), aBlu-ray disc, a magnetic tape, a flash memory, other non-volatile memorydevice, a solid sate drive (“SSD”), any magnetic storage device, anyoptical storage device, any electrical storage device, any semiconductorstorage device, any physical-based storage device, any other datastorage device, or any combination or multiplicity thereof. The storagemedia 2040 may store one or more operating systems, application programsand program modules such as module 2050, data, or any other information.The storage media 2040 may be part of, or connected to, the computingmachine 2000. The storage media 2040 may also be part of one or moreother computing machines that are in communication with the computingmachine 2000 such as servers, database servers, cloud storage, networkattached storage, and so forth.

The module 2050 may comprise one or more hardware or software elementsconfigured to facilitate the computing machine 2000 with performing thevarious methods and processing functions presented herein. The module2050 may include one or more sequences of instructions stored assoftware or firmware in association with the system memory 2030, thestorage media 2040, or both. The storage media 2040 may thereforerepresent examples of machine or computer readable media on whichinstructions or code may be stored for execution by the processor 2010.Machine or computer readable media may generally refer to any medium ormedia used to provide instructions to the processor 2010. Such machineor computer readable media associated with the module 2050 may comprisea computer software product. It should be appreciated that a computersoftware product comprising the module 2050 may also be associated withone or more processes or methods for delivering the module 2050 to thecomputing machine 2000 via the network 2080, any signal-bearing medium,or any other communication or delivery technology. The module 2050 mayalso comprise hardware circuits or information for configuring hardwarecircuits such as microcode or configuration information for an FPGA orother PLD.

The input/output (“I/O”) interface 2060 may be configured to couple toone or more external devices, to receive data from the one or moreexternal devices, and to send data to the one or more external devices.Such external devices along with the various internal devices may alsobe known as peripheral devices. The I/O interface 2060 may include bothelectrical and physical connections for operably coupling the variousperipheral devices to the computing machine 2000 or the processor 2010.The I/O interface 2060 may be configured to communicate data, addresses,and control signals between the peripheral devices, the computingmachine 2000, or the processor 2010. The I/O interface 2060 may beconfigured to implement any standard interface, such as small computersystem interface (“SCSI”), serial-attached SCSI (“SAS”), fiber channel,peripheral component interconnect (“PCI”), PCI express (PCIe), serialbus, parallel bus, advanced technology attached (“ATA”), serial ATA(“SATA”), universal serial bus (“USB”), Thunderbolt, FireWire, variousvideo buses, and the like. The I/O interface 2060 may be configured toimplement only one interface or bus technology. Alternatively, the I/Ointerface 2060 may be configured to implement multiple interfaces or bustechnologies. The I/O interface 2060 may be configured as part of, allof, or to operate in conjunction with, the system bus 2020. The I/Ointerface 2060 may include one or more buffers for bufferingtransmissions between one or more external devices, internal devices,the computing machine 2000, or the processor 2010.

The I/O interface 2060 may couple the computing machine 2000 to variousinput devices including mice, touch-screens, scanners, electronicdigitizers, sensors, receivers, touchpads, trackballs, cameras,microphones, keyboards, any other pointing devices, or any combinationsthereof. The I/O interface 2060 may couple the computing machine 2000 tovarious output devices including video displays, speakers, printers,projectors, tactile feedback devices, automation control, roboticcomponents, actuators, motors, fans, solenoids, valves, pumps,transmitters, signal emitters, lights, and so forth.

The computing machine 2000 may operate in a networked environment usinglogical connections through the network interface 2070 to one or moreother systems or computing machines across the network 2080. The network2080 may include wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN),intranets, the Internet, wireless access networks, wired networks,mobile networks, telephone networks, optical networks, or combinationsthereof. The network 2080 may be packet switched, circuit switched, ofany topology, and may use any communication protocol. Communicationlinks within the network 2080 may involve various digital or an analogcommunication media such as fiber optic cables, free-space optics,waveguides, electrical conductors, wireless links, antennas,radio-frequency communications, and so forth.

The processor 2010 may be connected to the other elements of thecomputing machine 2000 or the various peripherals discussed hereinthrough the system bus 2020. It should be appreciated that the systembus 2020 may be within the processor 2010, outside the processor 2010,or both. According to some embodiments, any of the processor 2010, theother elements of the computing machine 2000, or the various peripheralsdiscussed herein may be integrated into a single device such as a systemon chip (“SOC”), system on package (“SOP”), or ASIC device.

In situations in which the systems discussed here collect personalinformation about users, or may make use of personal information, theusers may be provided with a opportunity or option to control whetherprograms or features collect user information (e.g., information about auser's social network, social actions or activities, profession, auser's preferences, or a user's current location), or to control whetherand/or how to receive content from the content server that may be morerelevant to the user. In addition, certain data may be treated in one ormore ways before it is stored or used, so that personally identifiableinformation is removed. For example, a user's identity may be treated sothat no personally identifiable information can be determined for theuser, or a user's geographic location may be generalized where locationinformation is obtained (such as to a city, ZIP code, or state level),so that a particular location of a user cannot be determined. Thus, theuser may have control over how information is collected about the userand used by a content server.

Embodiments may comprise a computer program that embodies the functionsdescribed and illustrated herein, wherein the computer program isimplemented in a computer system that comprises instructions stored in amachine-readable medium and a processor that executes the instructions.However, it should be apparent that there could be many different waysof implementing embodiments in computer programming, and the embodimentsshould not be construed as limited to any one set of computer programinstructions. Further, a skilled programmer would be able to write sucha computer program to implement an embodiment of the disclosedembodiments based on the appended flow charts and associated descriptionin the application text. Therefore, disclosure of a particular set ofprogram code instructions is not considered necessary for an adequateunderstanding of how to make and use embodiments. Further, those skilledin the art will appreciate that one or more aspects of embodimentsdescribed herein may be performed by hardware, software, or acombination thereof, as may be embodied in one or more computingsystems. Moreover, any reference to an act being performed by a computershould not be construed as being performed by a single computer as morethan one computer may perform the act.

The example embodiments described herein can be used with computerhardware and software that perform the methods and processing functionsdescribed previously. The systems, methods, and procedures describedherein can be embodied in a programmable computer, computer-executablesoftware, or digital circuitry. The software can be stored oncomputer-readable media. For example, computer-readable media caninclude a floppy disk, RAM, ROM, hard disk, removable media, flashmemory, memory stick, optical media, magneto-optical media, CD-ROM, etc.Digital circuitry can include integrated circuits, gate arrays, buildingblock logic, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), etc.

The example systems, methods, and acts described in the embodimentspresented previously are illustrative, and, in alternative embodiments,certain acts can be performed in a different order, in parallel with oneanother, omitted entirely, and/or combined between different exampleembodiments, and/or certain additional acts can be performed, withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of various embodiments. Accordingly,such alternative embodiments are included in the inventions describedherein.

Although specific embodiments have been described above in detail, thedescription is merely for purposes of illustration. It should beappreciated, therefore, that many aspects described above are notintended as required or essential elements unless explicitly statedotherwise. Modifications of, and equivalent components or actscorresponding to, the disclosed aspects of the example embodiments, inaddition to those described above, can be made by a person of ordinaryskill in the art, having the benefit of the present disclosure, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of embodiments defined in thefollowing claims, the scope of which is to be accorded the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass such modifications and equivalentstructures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method to provide combinedalert notifications, comprising: determining, by one or more computingdevices, a clustered geofence boundary encompassing two or more pointsof interest; communicating, by the one or more computing devices,geofence boundary data to a user computing device for the clusteredgeofence boundary encompassing the two or more points of interest,wherein the user computing device is separate and distinct from the oneor more computing devices; determining, by the one or more computingdevices, that the user computing device has entered the clusteredgeofence boundary; and providing, by the one or more computing devices,a combined alert on the user computing device regarding the two or morepoints of interest when the user computing device is determined to bewithin the clustered geofence boundary.
 2. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein determining that the user computing devicehas entered the clustered geofence boundary comprises receiving anindication from the user device that the user computing device asentered the clustered geofence boundary.
 3. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the two or more points of interest areassociated based on a relationship of proximity.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the two or more pointsof interest are associated based on a relationship of affiliation. 5.The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the two or morepoints of interest are affiliated with a location.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, bythe one or more computing devices, a planned route or destination fromthe user computing device.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim6, wherein the two or more points of interest are associated based on arelationship with the planned route or destination.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the combined alertcomprises content information for one or more of the associated pointsof interest.
 9. A system to provide combined alert notifications,comprising: a storage device; a processor communicatively coupled to thestorage device, wherein the processor executes application codeinstructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the systemto: determine a clustered geofence boundary encompassing two or moreassociated points of interest; communicate geofence boundary data to auser computing device for the clustered geofence boundary encompassingthe two or more points of interest, wherein the user computing device isseparate and distinct from the system; determine that the user computingdevice has entered the clustered geofence boundary; and, provide acombined alert on the user computing device regarding the two or morepoints of interest when the user computing device is determined to bewithin the clustered geofence boundary.
 10. The system of claim 9,wherein determining that the user computing device has entered theclustered geofence boundary comprises receiving an indication from theuser computing device that the user computing device has entered theclustered geofence boundary.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the twoor more points of interest are associated based on a relationship ofproximity or affiliation.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the two ormore points of interest are affiliated with a location.
 13. The systemof claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to executeapplication code instructions that are stored in the storage device tocause the system to receive a planned route or destination from the usercomputing device.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the two or morepoints of interest are associated based on a relationship with theplanned route or destination.
 15. A computer program product,comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable storage device havingcomputer-executable program instructions embodied thereon that whenexecuted by one or more computing devices cause the one or morecomputing devices to provide alert notifications, thecomputer-executable program instructions comprising: computer-executableprogram instructions to determine a clustered geofence boundaryencompassing two or more associated points of interest;computer-executable program instructions to communicate geofenceboundary data to a user computing device for the clustered geofenceboundary encompassing the two or more points of interest, wherein theuser computing device is separate and distinct from the one or morecomputing devices; computer-executable program instructions to determinethat the user computing device has entered the clustered geofenceboundary; and, computer-executable program instructions to provide acombined alert on the user computing device regarding the two or morepoints of interest when the user computing device is determined to bewithin the clustered geofence boundary.
 16. The computer program productof claim 15, wherein determining that the user computing device hasentered the clustered geofence boundary comprises receiving anindication from the user computing device that the user computing devicehas entered the clustered geofence boundary.
 17. The computer programproduct of claim 15, wherein the two or more points of interest areassociated based on a relationship of proximity or affiliation.
 18. Thecomputer program product of claim 17, wherein the two or more points ofinterest are affiliated with a central location.
 19. The computerprogram product of claim 15, further comprising computer-executableprogram instructions to receive a planned route or destination from theuser computing device.
 20. The computer program product of claim 19,wherein the two or more points of interest are associated based on arelationship with the planned route or destination.
 21. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: determining, by the one or more computingdevices, a relationship among two or more points of interest; andassociating, by the one or more computing devices, the two or morepoints of interest in response to determining the relationship among thetwo or more of the points of interest.